Need a sushi fix? Head on down to Wal-Mart

Kathryn Rem

Tuesday

Feb 24, 2009 at 12:01 AMFeb 24, 2009 at 12:33 AM

When you’re thinking of a place to buy sushi, the name Wal-Mart doesn’t come tripping off the bamboo rolling mat. But for those with a hankering for the cold Japanese rice-veggie-seafood delicacy, Springfield’s newest Wal-Mart has 28 types made fresh daily at an in-store sushi bar.

When you’re thinking of a place to buy sushi, the name Wal-Mart doesn’t come tripping off the bamboo rolling mat.

But for those with a hankering for the cold Japanese rice-veggie-seafood delicacy, Springfield’s newest Wal-Mart has 28 types made fresh daily at an in-store sushi bar.

“Some people walk by and say, ‘I don’t like sushi’ without ever trying it. Just taste it,” urged Pum “E.J.” Do Pau, the sushi chef at the 7-month-old big-box store at 1100 Lejune Drive, off South Sixth Street.

Located next to the deli at the front of the 203,000-square-foot supercenter, the sushi bar displays plastic trays of colorful, ready-to-go varieties such as California rolls, shrimp salad, spicy tuna rolls, vegetable rolls, rice balls topped with tuna and various combos. They are made fresh daily by E.J., who mans the 8-foot station from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week.

He works for Advanced Fresh Concepts Corp., a Rancho Dominguez, Calif.-based company that leases space in Wal-Mart and other stores. Established in 1986, the company has more than 2,500 supermarket sushi bars in 45 states, according to its Web site. The company’s sushi carries the brand name Oishisa, Japanese for “beautiful taste.”

Sushi is cold rice dressed in vinegar, garnished with meat, seafood and vegetables and formed into various shapes. It’s often accompanied by soy sauce or wasabi, a pungent green sauce made from the horseradish-like root of the Eutrema wasabi plant.

California rolls are the most popular type of sushi sold at the local Wal-Mart.

To make them, E.J. layers a sheet of nori (dried seaweed); short-grain, sticky, vinegared rice; thin avocado wedges; imitation-crab sticks and cucumber matchsticks. Using the mat, he tightly wraps the ingredients into a roll and then slices it into rounds.

The most common misconception about sushi, E.J. said, is that it’s all made with raw fish. (Raw seafood is called “sashimi.”) Although he does prepare some of it with raw tuna, salmon, squid and octopus, most of the varieties contain cooked seafood, chicken or vegetarian ingredients.

“Some people don’t like seaweed, so we have spring rolls made with rice paper,” he said.

The rice is made in an electric rice cooker, five pounds at a time. The seafood is stored in a freezer until needed. E.J. makes about 80 sushi packs per day on weekdays and 100 per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Wal-Mart traditionally has been known for its “everyday low price” format. According to market research from ACNielson, the typical Wal-Mart shopper’s annual income is between $10,000 and $50,000, slightly below the U.S. median income.

The retailer, however, has been starting to market to the well-heeled customer. ACNielson reported that 46 percent of potential Wal-Mart shoppers have incomes greater than $75,000. To attract this group, Wal-Mart has been stepping up the sushi bars, organic foods and high-end coffees.

Officials from both the local store and the corporate headquarters in Arkansas declined to be interviewed about the company’s marketing strategy.

Customer Lonnie Collins of Springfield was in the Lejune Drive store last week eyeing the colorful sushi-bar display before grabbing a box of grilled salmon rolls.

“No one in my family loves it, so I’ll get a tray here three or four times a month. It’s a snack. I’ll probably eat at least half of this before dinner,” said Collins, noting that he started eating sushi in St. Louis when he used to work there.

Jean Little of Springfield put a box of California rolls into her shopping cart.

“It’s very good, and it’s convenient. Freshness is the key, and this tastes very fresh,” said the music teacher, who grew up in California. She planned to eat the rolls for lunch.

Trays range in price from $3.90 for the teriyaki chicken salad roll to $9.20 for rainbow rolls with tuna, shrimp and salmon. Samples are free. Party trays can be ordered.

E.J., 25, grew up in Burma and has been in the United States for five years. Before moving to Springfield, he worked for Advanced Fresh Concepts Corp. in Michigan for a year, honing his craft. He said it’s not difficult to make sushi, but the chef should have an eye for color and composition.

Sushi customers are welcome to take wooden chopsticks and soy sauce packets for their purchases.

EATING SUSHI
Sushi can be eaten with either fingers or chopsticks. Many people dip it into a blend of soy sauce and wasabi, a pungent Japanese horseradish. To cleanse the palate, pickled ginger can be eaten between courses.

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